DDB boss to staff after Effies win: You’re working for the best agency in Singapore
David Tang
The boss of DDB Singapore has sent a memo to staff after winning agency of the year for 12th year running at the Effies declaring his agency to officially be the best in the country.
In a memo to titled “12 years is a long, long time”, DDB CEO and president David Tang began by telling his staff: “You’re working for the best agency in Singapore.”
“It’s official. It’s serious stuff. It’s creative. And it’s no scam – proven 12 years running,” he wrote.
Tang brought the Effies to Singapore 12 years ago, and DDB has dominated the awards ever since for clients including StarHub, DBS, Courts, McDonald’s and a string of government accounts.
“It’s taken us a long time to be this good, there is no short cut – and yet there’s so much more greatness ahead,” Tang wrote, after pointing out that DDB had claimed the most finalists and winners at the Singapore Effies this year, just ahead Publicis and BBH.
Tang described the Effies as “our special show, because we wanted the proof of creativity – that it must bring on the results for our clients. Not just for ourselves. In so doing, we’ve created history and an agency that is quite legendary,” he wrote.
The memo contained a list of the “magic ingredients” for how Tang believes DDB have sustained their success, one titled ‘We’re team players, not lone genius’.
Memo to staff
“We’ve developed a highly evolved way of teaming and collaboration – from DDB to Tribal, from creative to planners to account servicing – while other agencies fall for ego, empire-building and extreme angst,” he writes.
The memo finishes by Dang saying he wants the agency to remain populated by “talented and nice folks.”
“It’s taken us 12 years to keep getting better and better, and hopefully nicer and happier. I want to thank each of you for these 12 years of being the most-awarded agency at the Effies. Behind the 21 gold, 20 silver and 24 bronze, there is 300 very solid individuals behind the work. You should be very proud of the best agency in town and it is your agency,” he wrote.
The memo in full:
You’re working for the best agency in Singapore
It’s taken us a long time to be this good, there is no short cut – and yet there’s so much more greatness ahead. Some 13 years ago, our previous CEO Tim Evill (yes, there was a previous CEO in DDB Singapore, I was not born a CEO) sat aghast that we could not win ‘Agency of the Year’ at the IAS Hall of Fame in 2002. He wondered what it would take for us to break through to the top, after three years of trying.
Well, we’ve won Agency of the Year many times across all the shows. The Effie however is our special show because we wanted the proof of Creativity – that it must bring on the results for our clients. Not just for ourselves. In so doing, we’ve created history and an agency that is quite legendary.
I have been asked many times what are the magic ingredients. Here’s what I say.
We’re extremely hardworking buggers. DDB is not for softies, it’s got the ruggedness to keep reaching out for the best idea, day after day after day. There’s no suit in this agency (except for award nights), we roll up our sleeves and work as amongst equals. We’ll give 100% to win a pitch and not make it easy for any other agency. We’ll shoot three great ideas, if only to get the client to buy one. Our clients and our competition know that we’ll always give our best and our all.
We’re team players, not lone genius. Of course there are genius and greats amongst us, but they are first and foremost team players. Joji is Cannes award-winning, Rowena is client-winning and Jeff is loved by the state (and now, the pioneer generation). We’ve developed a highly evolved way of teaming and collaboration – from DDB to Tribal, from creative to planners to account servicing – while other agencies fall for ego, empire-building and extreme angst.
We play to strengths. It’s not easy but like in football, we always want to pass the ball to someone in a better position to take the shot. That’s why we are a team of 300 and not a small agency of 30. It calls for the courage, self-confidence and big-heartedness to let go. It also shows the calibre and intelligence of each player. Pass the ball, buddy!
And most of all, I’m envious that we all are and must remain talented and nice folks. It’s taken us 12 years to keep getting better and better, and hopefully nicer and happier. I want to thank each of you for these 12 years of being the most-awarded agency at the Effies. Behind the 21 gold, 20 silver and 24 bronze, there is 300 very solid individuals behind the work. You should be very proud of the best agency in town and it is your agency
Thank you and I’m proud of you all.
David
The overall standard of work from singapore has dropped so dramatically over the last 12-15 years that calling yourself the countrys best agency only feels like an insult.
ReplyInteresting how their rise to the top coincides seamlessly with Singapore’s race to the bottom.
ReplyHey David (and I know you will read this),
Just three questions.
One, where is the kudos to one Neil Johnson who arguably accounts for the thinking of the other 299 folks at DDB? (Yes, you included.)
Two, didn’t Bob Scarpelli, former Chairman and chief creative officer extraordinaire of DDB Worldwide, actually tell your agency to ‘win some real awards and none of these effectivess crap’ when he visited Singapore?
And three, even Batey at its height or Saatchi when it conquered all under Droga may have believed that they were the best here but we didn’t hear them gloat as such. Humility much?
ReplyThis was obviously a leaked internal email. Nothing wrong with comgratulating or giving the people who deserved it in the agency a pat on their backs. Doesn’t anyone else find it disgusting that Mumbrella chose to publicise this with intent on stirring shit?
ReplyShame on Mumbrella for using a leaked internal memo-if it was actually a leak.
Shame on David for omitting NJ,unless it was an honest oversight.
Shame on the haters-if only dissing DDB’s success will make you perform better.
DDB deserves to feel good about their 12 year run.
It is certainly impressive.
Let’s as an industry, take an objective look and give them props.
Then go back and work smarter and harder to knock them off their throne.
ReplyAnd enjoy the glory/hate when you break their record 13 years later.
This sounds like it was deliberately leaked with the blessings of all concerned.
Btw whos neil johnson? Ddb does terrible work in singapore.
ReplyLeak?! You gotta be kidding lah…this is not Watergate. Obviously they wanted this memo out there so more people would know that according to DDB Singapore, the best agency in town is…wait for it… DDB Singapore. An agency calling itself the best…I never saw that coming…LOL.
ReplyLet’s not forget that Tang was at one point the chairman of this award show for several years, during his tenure, his agency won numerous times and guess what, his main client Starhub won client of the year many times too.
ReplyHave your say